Nassau County purchases 45 new buses for NICE

The new vehicles, Orion Model VII buses, will replace some of the oldest buses currently being used by Nassau Inter-County Express. The buses to be replaced are at least 12 years old and have more than 500,000 miles on them. Once the new models are phased in, just under two-thirds of Nassau’s 300-vehicle bus fleet will be four years old or younger.

Aging vehicles has been a tough issue for NICE to deal with since taking over the county’s bus operations from the MTA on Jan. 1.

“Keeping the fleet in good working order and avoiding breakdowns, and keeping down the cost of repairs, has been one of our toughest problems since NICE began operating,” NICE CEO Mike Setzer said. “Not only do our customers get a better ride and drivers operate better equipment, but our repair and maintenance challenges should improve because we are retiring buses that have the most issues and breakdowns.”

Each Orion Model VII is a 40-foot long, low-floor design bus that can seat between 40 and 44 seated riders plus standees. In addition, the new buses will run entirely on compressed natural gas – a cleaner, cheaper alternative to standard gasoline or diesel fuels.

The Federal Transit Administration provided a large part of the funding needed to purchase these buses. County Executive Ed Mangano said he expects the 45 new buses to be delivered no later than the end of 2012.